Why Your Detox Water Is Bad For Your Teeth

Detox water (also known as skinny water) is promoted as a great all natural way to cleanse the body and lose weight. These do-it-yourself fruit and herb infused water concoctions are supposed to be great for your overall health, but there’s one problem: detox water can be really bad for your teeth!

Perhaps the most common ingredient in detox water recipes is lemons, though other citrus fruits such as limes, grapefruit, and oranges also make an appearance. Citrus fruits are acidic: they contain citric acid. However, what you might not know is that lots of other fruits are highly acidic too, including pineapples, mangoes, peaches, pomegranates and even blueberries. Some recipes even call for apple cider vinegar, which is also acidic.

Acid is one of your smile’s greatest enemies. Acids can eat through the hard outer enamel layer of your teeth, causing spots, cavities, and a great place for tooth decay-causing bacteria to start an infection. (Fun fact: It’s actually acid that links sugar to tooth decay. The existing bacteria in your mouth consume the sugar and excrete acid as a byproduct, right onto your teeth. Lovely, right?)

So, it turns out, depending on the ingredients, detox water is a nice tasty erosion-causing acid bath for your teeth. Okay, that may be a little dramatic, but detox water certainly puts your teeth at higher risk for tooth decay than plain clean water.

The truth is, detox water (like most flavored drinks) are fine in moderation. Unfortunately, moderation is not what a lot of detox water lovers recommend. A lot of instructions for detox water suggest sipping it all day long. That means repeatedly subjecting your teeth to an acidic environment!

Drinking detox water is okay, and will probably benefit your health by keeping your better hydrated (other health claims are dubious, but that’s another story). Your dentist just asks you to be sensible about it. Just like we recommend not snacking between meals, we also suggest not drinking detox water between meals. This will give your teeth “time off” from being covered in acids, sugars, etc. Most dentists will tell you that the only thing you should be sipping on all day is water. Consider drinking a detox water with breakfast, then brushing your teeth and going about your day with a fun, well-designed bottle of fruit-free water instead.

If you have a detox water habit you just can’t shake, there are some steps you can take to reduce its impact on your teeth. One way is to use a straw, which helps keep the liquid from hitting your teeth directly. You can also flush your mouth with plain water every time you drink the detox water, to help wash away the acid and any sugars. However, remember that the primary way that detox water “draws out toxins” and improves your health is by encouraging you to consume more water. When it doubt, regular fluoridated tap water is your smile’s best friend.

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Dear Friends of Martin Dental Care

We are so happy to reopen our office this week seeing patients, safely and methodically, doing what we love.

Once again, we are taking measures and have protocols in place to make sure our patients are as safe as possible in this environment following guidelines of the CDC, ADA and Ohio State Dental Board. As the state of Ohio begins to open up, we are confident our dental office may actually be one of the safer places you visit:

Our staff understands how important it is to follow stringent guidelines for the health and protection of our patients.

Every surface is thoroughly wiped with bactericidal and virucidal agents.

Instruments are sterilized

We have invested in new equipment at our office that will reduce aerosols and utilize HEPA filters to safely capture microbes such as viruses and other contaminants within biological aerosols.

We have installed our very own “sneeze guard” in the reception area.

We have a stringent pre-screening protocol so that no patients or staff entering are exhibiting signs of Covid-19.

We are not using our waiting room and ask that you call upon arrival.

We are asking adults to plan to attend their appointments alone. A parent/guardian may accompany children or those with special needs.

We are taking temperatures of all staff and patients prior to entering.

We are asking anyone who enters to please wear a mask into the office and use our hand sanitizer as they enter, as well as prior to leaving.

We are also providing a pre-rinse mouthwash for patients before all appointments.

We are allowing greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you.

Appointments are being staggered to allow for social distancing and thorough disinfection between appointments.

Our staff is working hard to get everyone rescheduled and we will do our very best to accommodate appointment requests as availability opens up! Thank you for your patience! We are so happy to be back!

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